Musings on the universe

Monthly Archives: July 2016

DC Comics continues their one off Rebirth comics with Justice League. The Rebirth event has been a big success so far. Stripping away aspects of characters that had turned many readers off and having them embrace their legacies has renewed readers excitement for DC.

This one off Justice League tale almost acts as a mission statement for what the team is all about. Fighting planetary threats of incredible size while keeping the people of Earth safe. With Superman dead (well the most recent iteration, the pre-New52 Superman is back but not fully exposed to the world) the League finds itself without it’s most powerful member as a giant monster attacks and begins to enslave the human race.

That’s one big monster!

Readers are plunged straight into the action with skyscrapers crumbling and hordes of smaller creatures unleashed on the populace. The action is huge and the only break is a visit to Superman and Lois (living under different names in the middle of nowhere) seeing the devastation and her convincing him to go and help. Writer Bryan Hitch doesn’t pile on the dialogue keeping it short and sharp so artists Daniel Henriques and Scott Hanna can focus on the action. Their environments and wide shots really sell the scale the only minus point is fluctuating quality of character faces. On one page they are great but then another they can look rather ugly.

The action doesn’t distract from the emotion of the tale, Wonder Woman is still mourning the death of Superman (they had been lovers) and her distress really come across. That’s not to say it’s all doom and gloom as when the other Superman joins up with the League to take this threat down it’s a celebratory feeling.

Wonder Woman is still in pain over the death of her lover when another Superman appears

Justice League Rebirth is a strong start for DC’s premiere team and it will be interesting to see where they go from here.

Justice League Rebirth by DC Comics is an American comic so residents of other countries check your specialist comic shop or go online to purchase

Last month’s issue of Power Rangers ended on an incredible cliffhanger with the command center being attacked by a huge monster. If you were excited to see how this turned out then dial your expectations down several notches as this issue isn’t going to show you. Instead writer Kyle Higgins and guest artist Thony Silas present a story of how Rita tried to tempt Zack into joining her before she recruited Tommy.

If you are scratching your head after reading that opening paragraph then don’t be concerned as this whole issue seems like a bit of a bizarre experiment. Zack is not feeling his worth amongst the team as the praise of destroying another one of Rita’s monsters is heaped on Jason. Sensing his unhappiness Rita spirits him away to the Dark Dimension and tries to tempt him into joining her ranks as the Green Ranger.

Yes you read that correctly, in the new comic lore Rita tried to make Zack the Green Ranger before she discovered Tommy. This may sound like a bold idea in concept but in execution it all seems a bit daft (and not daft in a good way like most of Power Rangers is). Having to fit character development around pre-existng events from television is never easy but if Zack knew about the Green Ranger powers and never mentioned them on the series when Tommy first showed up it renders the plot point in this comic moot.

Things are not helped further by the guest artist whose suitably to the characters varies wildly from page to page. Silas renderings of the Dark Dimension, Rita and her gang and the Megazord battle is absolutely superb. His work on Rita should be praised highly for conveying her ominous presence with real menace. What lets proceedings down is his portrayal of the Rangers in costume giving them very bizarre physiques and weird angles to the helmets which prove to be very distracting.

Guest artist Thony Silas does a great job with Rita

This latest issue is an interesting experiment but when the drama is neutered by already knowing the outcome and with the art quality varying wildly it unfortunately proves to be a bit of a failure. It’s far from unreadable just nowhere near the quality of previous issues.

Each issue of Power Rangers has had many variant covers and showcased above is this months villain cover by Greg Smallwood. A frankly magnificent depiction of Lord Zedd without any text to distract from it. For your information Zedd has not yet appeared in the comic as the stories are taking place around the first television series.

So far the Power Rangers comic has been of an incredibly high standard and hopefully next month it can get back to those lofty heights.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by BOOM Studios is an American comic so residents of other countries check your specialist comic shop or go online to purchase

The monthly Power Rangers comic continues in thrilling fashion as writer Kyle Higgins and artist Hendry Prasetya deliver another brilliant issue. The Rangers are divided, Tommy’s hallucinations have left the others suspicious and a familiar threat is poised to destroy the city.

Rita’s mysterious plan continues to unfurl and with the Rangers sniping at each other what hope does Angel Grove have? Tommy is benched and ordered to remain in the Command Center. The five Rangers leap into action and the ensuing battle takes up a sizable chunk of this issue.

You may think this could lead to a lot of spectacle but little substance but that is not the case at all. As the Dinozords battle an old enemy we switch back to the Command Center as Tommy tries to battle his own mental demons so he can join the others without endangering them. This contrast in conflicts from the giant robot/monster mayhem to the quieter internal one is expertly handled and makes the issue a real page turner.

The artwork is fantastic, the Zord battle takes place late in the evening and partly immersed in the sea. The artist and colorist using heavy shades of dark blue and black to create a foreboding atmosphere.

The artwork and colours are of an incredibly high standard

A later hand to hand fight is really dynamic as the combatants dominate each panel they feature in so the blows they inflict on each other leap off the page. A final page cliff hanger will leave you awaiting next months issues with bated breath. This comic is a must buy for all fans.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Boom Studios is an American comic so UK residents check your specialist comic shop to purchase a copy.